WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- The Randolph women's basketball team traveled down to North Carolina for a non-conference tilt with Salem College on Tuesday. The WildCats put together a solid performance all around as they defeated the Spirits 79-55.
Three WildCats reached double figures led by Kalyn Banks' (Clinton, Md./From the Heart Christian School) 14 points. She also grabbed 14 rebounds. Lanaysia Gonzalez (Richmond, Va./Goochland) added 11 points and five rebounds. Lindsey Marshall (Stuart, Va./Patrick County) had 11 points and four assists.
Randolph had a 10-7 lead in the first quarter and then broke out a 7-0 run to go ahead 17-7 with 4:30 remaining in the period. The Spirits were able to cut the 'Cat lead to two points, 19-17, with 51 seconds remaining until a Marshall jumper with 17 ticks on the clock gave the WildCats a 21-17 lead.
The WildCat grew to as much as seven points in the second quarter. The WildCats were able to build some momentum in the third quarter with a 16-6 run to go on top 54-39 with just under four minutes remaining in the frame.
Randolph's lead continue to grow in the fourth quarter as the WildCats were ahead by 20 points early on. Salem was able to chip away but the 'Cats were too much as they outscored the Spirits 9-2 in the final 2:22 of game time.
"I was really proud with how we came out with both an aggressive but unselfish mindset," said head coach Steve Lanpher. "We pushed the ball in transition and found the open player. Great contributions off the bench from Lindsey Marshall, Natalie Clark and Alyssa Moroni. Solid post play from Lanaysia Gonzalez and Kalyn Banks dominated with 14 pts and 14 rebounds. Audrey played a good overall game on both ends. Amber sparked us in the third quarter with back-to-back threes which blew game open."
The WildCats controlled nearly every facet of the game. They led in second chance points (16-4), bench points (35-9), and points in the paint (38-26). Randolph shot 34-of-71 (47.9%) from the field and were 4-of-11 (36.4%) from behind the three-point arc. The WildCats controlled the boards with a 53-32 advantage.
The WildCats return to the RAD following the Thanksgiving holiday to host Virginia Wesleyan in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
